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Wow, that was a great event! Warren and family were fantastic hosts, the food was delicious, and it was awesome having so many knife makers around!

I have to say it... Del, I love your work!
If I sell the Misonos, the Carter, the fuji, the Sab, the konosuke, the Jnat (sorry Rick ), and start charging local chefs to sharpen their knives, I might be able to buy Bao's masterpiece !
That would still leave me with the Rodrigue and my cutting board. I can get by with them and one of your gyutos, right???
They look well worth it! Keep up the great work! How'd you make the bull terrier? I want that one!
By the way, I'm hanging out with my dog on my deck, smoking a Cohiba Robusto, and living vicariously through these pics! Life is pretty sweet!

Warren and his wife were wonderful hosts who made everything from scratch, including loaves of bread and donuts. I’m surprised they didn’t make the tortilla chips. A man after my own heart, his kitchen is fit for a haute’ cuisine restaurant. There’s an outdoor stone oven where he baked bread and a long gone giant lizard had laid Big Green Eggs everywhere. I got to meet friends, neighbors and employees who were introduced by Warren to knives. Loved the perfect weather, bucolic setting, shaded patio areas and Little Rascals dogs. Warren and his family put a lot into the ECG.

Dave was smart enough not to sharpen knives so he could chat. Great and humble guy who is going to bring my Monzaburo Wagyuto Honyaki White II Steel 240 to its full glory. He brought along cut-outs of his own knives and custom knives from the likes of Rodrique, Fowler, Ealy and Harner. I just got into Japanese and custom kitchen knives in December and seeing these in person underscores the phrase, “Pictures can’t do justice to the real thing.”

Jon and Sarah Broida are gems. His business model is the antithesis of marketing a product to create a need. Instead of developing a production of his own brand of new knives at price points, Jon seeks out long established quality Japanese knife makers and selects the best for his customers. He has a laid back pragmatic approach to sharpening and using knive. As part of a lesson he sharpened my Carbonext 240 gyuto to its full potential and helped me fix the edge on a Tojiro honesuki which my friends thought was sharp but was nowhere close. For anyone interested in his silk knife bags, they’re gorgeous.

Delbert Ealy and Butch Harner love their work and talking about it. Delbert’s knives look substantial with a lot going on with the Damascus designs and spalted handles. But it all works visually and they’re surprisingly light and thin. Butch brought a huge tuna sword that’s a functional work of art.

I’m sure I didn’t meet everyone from KKF that attended, but the folks I met were instant friends. Among them, Jim (“Don’t tell anyone on the forum that’s my real name”) obviously had no sense of humor. JohnnyChance brought Rader’s passaround knife, a big honkin’ work of culinary art, which “Pictures can’t….”

Unfortunately I had to leave before the smoked meat was served but that’s another reason to return next year and stay longer.

This was my first trip to the ECG. Butch has been telling me I need to come along for a couple years now, and I have to say that I don't know why I waited so long! Warren and family are wonderful hosts, excellent cooks, and all around great folks to visit with. I've rarely been to a gathering where I felt as relaxed and welcome as I did yesterday. The opportunity to meet such a varied group of folks (Yes John, we're ALL geeks of one sort or another... ) in such a great environment was a true delight.

I'd also like to thank Josh for the caravan over to his place for the shoot. It's a rare opportunity to get to go full auto, and I really appreciate the opportunity. Now I just need to keep telling myself that I can't afford to join the full auto club...

A big thanks again to Warren and his entire family who worked so hard to put this event on for us. Your hospitality is truly appreciated.